A First Case of Compulsive Amnestic Sleep-Related Shopping Induced by Pramipexole Therapy of Restless Legs Syndrome

Abstract

Dopamine receptor agonists (DAs) such as pramipexole/ropinirole are recognized treatments for restless legs syndrome (RLS) and Parkinson's disease (PD). It is well established that these medications can cause impulse control disorders (ICDs) during wakefulness, side effects with serious and potentially life-altering consequences. Impulse control disorders are recurrent difficult-to-resist behaviors that can be harmful to the patient or others around them. Common examples include pathologic gambling and compulsive sexual behaviors, eating, and shopping. We present the case of a patient with RLS who developed pathologic nocturnal sleep-related shopping, without recalling the events, which resolved after discontinuing pramipexole. This case illustrates the devastating consequences that unrecognized medically-induced ICDs can have on patients' lives and the importance of counseling patients about ICDs during wake and sleep prior to starting DA therapy.